Robert Morris University (RMU), a university situated in Illinois [il-uh-NOI], announced that it will offer scholarships to players of an online game called the League of Legends (LoL) [el-oh-el].

League of Legends is one of the most celebrated online games in the world. In fact, Riot Games, LoL’s developer, said that more than 27 million people play the game on a daily basis.

The university has started recruiting students in preparation for the competition in September. These e-athletes will be a part of a varsity team that will compete in a collegiate competition. The chosen athletes will then be granted up to 50 percent of their tuition and their living costs.

The RMU is the very first university that added video games to their roster of scholarship programs. According to Kurt Melcher, the university’s eSports Program and Athletic Director, RMU has always acknowledged the diversity of skills and talents of its students. And with this scholarship, the university shows recognition of the value and legitimacy of electronic sports (eSports).

Riot Games has hosted numerous tournaments for LoL. It holds a special tournament called the North American Collegiate Championship, which gives $100,000 worth of scholarship for the winning participants.

Among the universities that will participate in the competition are Harvard University, George Washington University, and Arizona State University. Aside from the collegiate competition, there is also a competition for high school students, in which more than 750 schools in 46 American states and in eight Canadian provinces participate.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

·Do you think it is a good idea for a university to grant scholarships for online gaming? Why or why not?

·Would you like such kind of scholarship to be implemented in your country’s universities? Please discuss your answer.

Discussion B

·What are the advantages and disadvantages of playing online games?

·Why do you think online games are becoming more and more popular nowadays?